Bridge Blog 1027: Hitting my marks

     When people ask lately how I’m doing, I have a new answer. Not “hanging in there,” which were my winter watchwords. Instead, I’m “hitting my marks.”

     In this pre-vacation week, there have been a lot of marks to hit. Going to the bank. Stopping the mail. Mowing the lawn. Wrapping up advance work at the office.

     Then there’s the mark I want to hit at the bridge table. Missing one-third of May means I need to step up my game enough to hit my 15-point-per-month goal. Failing that, I’d settle for 66 percent of 15.

     At the start of pre-vacation week, however, the count for May stood just short of 6 points.

     And instead of hitting marks, I was missing them. Sometimes it was a near miss, like that 48.51% on Monday with Judie Bailey and the 48.61% on Wednesday with June Feuerstein. Sometimes it missed by a mile, like Thursday’s 43.29% with Marietta Kalman.

     For the marks I actually did hit, I have to thank Michael Kozower. He was the last-minute replacement Tuesday after my pre-arranged partner, Usha Khurana, called in sick. We managed 51.89%, third in the B strat in our direction, 0.57 of a point.

     Then, since my Canadian partner, Selina Volpatti, was away in Florida, I made another date with him for Friday. This time was better yet – 55.09%, second east-west, first in B overall, 1.84 points. Closing in on double digits now. I have two more chances to hit that mark.

     The biggest mark I hit in Friday’s game involved John and Martha Welte, a formidable pair.

     John doubles me at 3 Diamonds vulnerable. Hand record says it’s supposed to make 3 Diamonds, but it still looks scary when Michael lays down the dummy. It looks even scarier when I discover how the trump suit breaks.

Board 26.

Dealer is east, me. Everybody’s vulnerable. John leads the six of Hearts.

East (me)

Spades: A-8-7; Hearts: 9-5-4; Diamonds: Q-10-9-5-2; Clubs: Q-J.

South (John Welte)

Spades: K-10-9-6; Hearts: 6; Diamonds: K-J-7-4-3; Clubs: 5-3-2.

West (Michael Kozower)

Spades: 5-3-2; Hearts: A-J-10; Diamonds: A-8-6; Clubs: A-K-9-8.

North (Martha Welte)

Spades: Q-J-4; Hearts: K-Q-8-7-3-2; Diamonds: none; Clubs: 10-7-6-5.

     Michael opens the bidding with a Club. Martha passed. I bid a Diamond. Michael bid a Spade. Martha bid 2 Hearts. I pass, but Michael goes 3 Diamonds, whereupon John doubles. I would, too.

     The hand also is good for 3 No Trump, which a few east-wests bid and make. But that’s only a 600 score. Three Diamonds doubled vulnerable is 670. Top board!